ARTIST BIO
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Kelly went south to Lamar University in Texas on a golf scholarship where she completed a B.A. with Honours, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Art, French, and Marketing. Upon graduation, Kelly spent a brief time in Quebec, heading up Hatley Clothing & Gift’s marketing department for the US & Canada. Her aunt Alice Oldland, Hatley's founder and OCA grad, encouraged Kelly to apply to art school in order to pursue a more creative endeavour. As a result, Kelly moved to Toronto, completing an Honours degree at the Ontario College of Art & Design.

Kelly furthered her career with a 3 year stint in London, UK and worked for Isambard Thomas, one of the world’s foremost typographers and book designers whose clients include The Victoria & Albert Museum, The Royal Academy of Arts and Grimshaw Architects. Kelly was introduced by Mr. Thomas to Alan Fletcher to help her figure out what to do next. He advised her to pursue magazine art direction based on her keen eye for photography and knack for editorial design. She passionately worked as an art and creative director specializing in fashion photoshoots for several years at magazines in London, Toronto, and New York.

Kelly has worked across most creative mediums with experience in print, interactive, editorial, branding, strategy and film. Her work has been featured in the Communication Arts Photography Annual, Applied Arts Magazine, and the Creative Review, UK.

Kelly has won 2 Advertising & Design Club of Canada Awards and 3 National Magazine Awards; Gold Fashion & Beauty, Merit Fashion & Beauty, Merit Art Direction of a Single Article for her print work. For commercial digital work, she has won a Horizon Interactive Award and a CSS Award Nomination for the Site of the Day.  Her commercial work can be viewed here: https://kelly-k.format.com/

Kelly has always had the heart of an artist which shows up in every piece she's created. She lives in Toronto with her husband and 3 children.

ARTIST STATEMENT FOR AWAKENING SHOW
The pandemic brought mothers to their knees. Online schooling and isolation became anxiety, desperation, overwhelm and burnout that arose as a result of those days that blended into each other for what felt like an eternity. This piece shows the pain of what should have been a happy time turned upside down where there was no control, and the ability to get through the day felt impossible. As we are slowly, little by little accepting what was, what now is, how we are changed, and how we will never be the same, it is a time of awakening as things begin to turn around.